Change can be good
by Blue Wolf2
Summary: He studied her. "You don't want to leave...you can't leave." House/Cameron. Takes place after the Season 3 finale. ONE SHOT.


As she entered her apartment that night she let out a heavy sigh. Everything had been dragged out far too much. Chase being fired, fighting with Foreman, the patient dying and then coming back to life, saying good-bye to Foreman and then her resignation. In the three years she had spent at Plainsboro, she had never felt so tired, so exhausted. So…_burned out._

She dropped her coat and purse by the door, not bothering to put them in their usual place. Her keys landed on the counter, next to her stack of mail. She flipped through it quickly, pulling out the junk and tossing it in the trashcan. She would read the rest later. Right now she just wanted to sit down.

But before she could sit down she needed to change. Work clothes were not very good to lounge around in. She made her way to her room her eyes flicking over random pictures on the wall. In her room she changed into a pair of yoga pants and a light sweater. Kicking off her shoes and pulling her socks off, she made her way back to the living room.

She stood there for a moment unsure of what to do. She wouldn't be going back to the hospital in the morning. It was a feeling she had had before, but this time it felt different. Settling on reading she sat down on her couch, moving her butt for a minute to get the cushions to conform to her body the way she liked.

An hour later she had reached a stopping point and was contemplating getting up and making some dinner. She hadn't been hungry when she came home but now her stomach growled its disapproval at being kept so long without food.

But before she had raised herself from the now warm couch there was a knock at the door. She froze, her back off the couch but butt still planted on the cushions. That knock was all too familiar and could only be made by one person.

She took a deep breath and let it out as she stood. Making her way to the door she found herself fixing her hair and touching her shirt to make sure it wasn't rumpled. She paused for a moment, her hand hovering over the doorknob. But she shook her head and opened the door.

House stood on the other side, cane raised in his hand. As her face appeared his cane slid to the floor, making a light thump as it the ground. They stood there for a moment, her staring at him and him studying the ground. Finally he looked up, his deep blue eyes connecting with her green orbs. She felt her shoulders go slack as she opened her mouth.

"You want to come in?" she whispered. He gave a short nod and crossed the threshold as she held the door open. He heard the lock latch shut but didn't say anything as he stood studying her place. It was definitely Cameron. He figured every little nick-knack must have a memory attached to it and he gave a small smile remembering what Wilson had said earlier that day about him hating change and holding onto things that were old.

She crossed the room, her arms crossed across her chest. But it wasn't cold that she was protecting herself from, it was nerves. He studied her as she stood before him, looking anywhere but his face. "What do you want House?" she asked in a low whisper.

He moved his eyes from her wall of books to the hard wood floor. Why did it always have to be so damn hard to admit what you wanted? He had told Foreman, why couldn't he tell her? _Because she wasn't Foreman,_ he thought. _She was Allison Cameron._

"House?" this time her voice was slightly louder and when he looked up he saw sadness in her eyes.

"You don't want to leave," he said studying her. Her green eyes flitted to the door frame behind him then to the coffee table. She was trying to find something to focus on. Anything but him. Her slim arms tightened around her waist and she gave a sigh. "You can't leave," House whispered this sentence and when he looked up she was staring at him.

"You can't control everything House." She said softly, biting her lip, making the color stand out. "You can't just tell me to come back. It doesn't work that way."

"I'm not telling you to do anything," he growled, shifting his weight. His leg was starting to hurt but he fought the urge to dig his pill bottle out of his pocket. "I…" he trailed off and broke their eye contact, looking around the room for an object to focus on.

"What? What do you want from me?" she snapped and it came out much harsher than she had intended.

"I want you!" he yelled, making her jump. His eyes were on hers now and she didn't dare break their connection for fear of losing the feeling it was giving her. "I want you to stay. I…" his voice got softer. "I need you," he said quickly. _Oh crap,_ he thought, _she's walking towards me._

"You need me, or you want me?" she asked in a low voice. "Those are two very different things." She was in front of him now and he could feel the heat radiating from her body.

"Cameron…" he trailed off and her green eyes scanned his face, looking for an idea of what it was that he wasn't saying. He swallowed the lump that was in his throat as he watched her eyes scan his.

"I can't go back to work for you House," she whispered and he could hear a bit of sadness in her voice.

"Why?"

"It's time for a change," she told him, sliding a hand up his arm. She stopped as he flinched but when he didn't move to stop her, she continued.

"I don't like change," he snapped, looking down at her. "I like things to be the same. I had all of you figured out, now I'll have to start all over again."

"You didn't have all of us figured out House." She said stepping closer, a smirk on her face. The heat from her body was making him crazy. Trying to cover up his uneasiness, he rolled his eyes.

"That's right Dr. Cameron, I never had_ you_ figured out. Must be that female thing, I never was good with the ladies." He quipped.

"Now I find that hard to believe." She said. She had stopped her movements and he looked down at her, raising an eye brow.

"Why do I get the sense of déjà vu?" he muttered, his words becoming muffled as Cameron pressed her lips to his.

She had slid her hand around his head, pressing his lips against hers more. Feeling her tongue on his lips, he opened his mouth. His hands seemed to have a life of their own as one hand slid into her hair and the other dropped the cane, wrapping around her waist, allowing him to steady himself as his tongue met hers. She was slightly startled when he quickened the kiss but she soon matched his pace. His hands slid up her back and down her sides, desperate to touch anything and everything, desperate for any form of contact with her. Soon the kiss was over and she watched as he slowly opened his eyes, still reveling in the kiss.

Their eyes connected once more, only this time there was a silent understanding between them. It was time for a change. It was time for House to let them all go. They had learned all they could from him and it was time for him to let all of them, including her, out into the world so they could do what they had set out to do, be doctors.

"Not all change is bad," she whispered, looking up at him.

His eyes dropped to the floor before looking into her green ones once more. The sadness had been replaced by a look of satisfaction. "I guess not." He replied, leaning in to kiss her again.


End file.
